This short paper will seek to relate sports coaching principles within the coaching process to the role as a leader of youth expeditions. This role has a particular emphasis on mountaineering competences and “life skills” such as personal organisation, discipline, respect, and team development.
What type of coach am I and what do I aspire to? Figure 3.3 of The Coaching Process (no date given, website) breaks coaching down into four distinct categories or levels namely; Sports Teacher, Participation Coach, Performance Coach, and Representative Team/Group Coach. Whilst these categories appear distinct, there could be significant overlap between the groupings. As a rugby coach I have operated across all these levels at various times but suggest this is a very simplistic way to look at coaching and prefer to view the levels as a continuum. The terminology used is in this model is clearly sports orientated and outdoor adventure does not easily fit into this model.
Whilst more performance orientated adventurous activities such as canoeing and rock climbing can draw some parallels with the categories above, leading youth expeditions does not. Typing “what is coaching about?” into Google Scholar gives an indication of the breadth of coaching. Topics range from sports to executive management, and from life coaching to teenage behavioural issues. People working in all of these areas consider themselves to be coaches so is the expedition leader a coach?
Looking at the coaching process, the diagram at Fig 3.4 of The Coaching Process (no date given, website) lists a diverse range of skills necessary for the successful delivery of the coaching process and there is much similarity with the skill set required of the expedition leader, supporting the argument that an expedition leader is a coach. This view is ratified by some expedition providers (Shortt, 2012) although Mountain Leader Training England does not assess coaching skills as they have not been asked for this by their stakeholders (Garside, 2012). Additionally, the factor limiting all coaching is not the skills of the coach in that particular discipline, but his ability to coordinate and manage the coaching process in its entirety. This is certainly true in the outdoor adventure environment as organisation of the programme can be a hugely time consuming process but it is crucial to eventual success.
Having established that I am a coach and that sports coaching levels do not match the outdoor adventure environment, it may be better to consider what type of coach I am from a philosophical perspective.
A coaching philosophy can range from a generic statement to a very detailed tactical level view of how the coach will interact with their participants. Whilst a philosophy may be established early on in a coach’s career, it benefits from being refined using a reflective process as the coach develops and learns from different scenarios. Although research by Eitzen and Pratt (1989) identified no gender difference in coaching philosophy, Kidman and Hanrahan (2011) recognise that different philosophies may be required depending on the standard and type of coaching involved. As my coaching encompasses a variety of situations, I prefer a fairly generic philosophy. My philosophy is geared towards empowering the participant (who could be an athlete, an expedition member, or a student) to proactively engage in the process and work under gradually reducing levels of supervision.
Having now got a better understanding of the coaching process, how will I use this knowledge to develop the skills in my participants? The key issue for me is to take what I can from the sports coaching process model and apply it where applicable to outdoor adventure. There may not be an element of competition but ultimately my aim is to improve consistent performance of hard skills, and develop the participants’ life skills. The key point which comes out of my reading is that the coach’s own management and organisational skills are as important in the overall process as his ability to deliver his craft. Perhaps this then is the primary area for focus. I need to constantly manage the process so that my participants can maximise their development; I need to create the environment for success. At the same time, I need to be constantly reviewing my philosophy and adapting it based on experience.
In sum, whilst the levels of coaching do not translate easily into coaching outdoor adventure, the process clearly indicates the coaching skills and all of these are required by the leader of youth expeditions. The critical success factor in any coaching relationship is management and organisation.
References:
Eitzen, D.S. & Pratt, S.R. (1989), ‘Gender Differences in Coaching Philosophy: The Case of Female Basketball Teams’, Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, Vol 60, No. 2, pp. 152-158.
Garside, J. (2012), Email from Mr J Garside, BMC/MLTE Training Officer, 31st Jan.
Kidman, L. & Hanrahan, S.J. (2011), The Coaching Process: A Practical Guide to Becoming an Effective Sports Coach, (3rd Edition), Abingdon: Routledge.
Shortt, N. (2012), Email from Mr N Shortt, Expedition Training and Development Manager, Outlook Expeditions, 30th Jan.
The Coaching Process. Applied Coaching [online] available from: http://moodle.chi.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=58608 [accessed: 1/2/12].
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